


Favors

by blurryfics



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 13:44:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16745089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blurryfics/pseuds/blurryfics
Summary: You and Josh have been close friends for a few years and are willing to do almost anything for each other. When Josh asks you to come to Ohio with him and pretend to be his girlfriend in order to avoid being caught in a lie with his family, your relationship is going to be put under a pressure unlike any other.Will you be able to keep the lie up? Or will things come crashing down around you?





	1. Chapter 1

There was a knock on the door, followed closely by the telltale creak of the door to your apartment. You used your feet to push your desk chair away from the desk and out into the main room, where you had a clear view of the front door. Josh was standing there, looking around a bit confusedly.

It was a normal occurrence for Josh to come barging into your apartment on a near daily basis. You had been friends for nearly four years now, ever since the day that you moved into the apartment next to his, fresh out of college. You had been working at a nearby café ever since, steadily working on what would hopefully be your breakout novel. Last year, his best friend Tyler had moved in with him too, and you had become best friends. They were like the brothers you never had.

“What if I had been changing?” you asked, leaning casually onto the armrest of your chair.

His eyes stopped moving and rested on you, “You only ever change in your room,” he retorted.

You shrugged, “You never know, but that’s beside the point. Why are you here, anyway?”

“I need a huge favor from you.”

“Define huge,” you narrowed your eyes.

“I need you to come to Ohio with me and pretend to be my girlfriend at my cousin’s wedding,” he said quickly.

“Josh…that’s-” you started to say.

“Please, Y/N, I need you to do this for me.”

You closed your eyes and sighed, “When is this?”

“We would leave tomorrow and come back on Monday.”

“That’s five days!” you exclaimed. “Why do you need a date to this thing so bad, anyway?”

He shifted uncomfortably and looked down at the ground. You pulled your legs up under you so that you were now cross-legged in the chair.

“I-uh-I’ve been telling my family that I have a girlfriend so that they get off my case,” he explained, “And I’ve been saying that she’s busy a lot of the time so she hasn’t been able to visit.”

“And how long have you been dating said girlfriend?” you crossed your arms and raised an eyebrow at him.

“A year?” he smiled innocently.

You sighed and brought a hand down your face.

“Let me call the café and see what I can do.”

A smile broke out on Josh’s face and he walked over to you, pulling you into a large hug and lifting you out of the chair.

“You’re the best,” he smiled.

“Yeah, I know,” you managed to say from his tight grip. “But it’s not a definite yes, so don’t get your hopes up…”

He set you down and curtly nodded, “Right.”  
You walked back into the office and grabbed your phone from the desk. Josh sat patiently on the couch as you dialed up your boss and held the phone to your ear.

“Hello?” Mrs. Henry’s voice carried through the phone.

“Hi, Mrs. Henry! This is Y/N, one of the employees from your cafe.”

Her memory had been getting worse lately and she had never been good with technology, so you found it was best to tell her who you were every time you had to call.

“Oh! Hello, dear!” you could practically see her pearly smile through the phone.

“Hi! I was calling in regards to my shifts. I know this is extremely short notice, but a family event came up and I have to leave town and won’t be able to work until Tuesday. Is there any way that someone can cover my shifts?” you asked sweetly.

She was quiet for a moment.

“Yes, I think that will work.”

“Ok, thank you so much.”

“Of course, dear.”

“Bye, Mrs. Henry.”

“Goodbye.”

You ended the call and Josh looked up at you hopefully.

“Looks like we have a wedding to go to.”

Josh jumped up from the couch, “You don’t understand how much this means to me,” he smiled.

“Yeah, yeah, save it for the wedding,” you waved a hand at him.

“Our flight leaves at one in the afternoon tomorrow,” he announced.

“Perfect. Now, if we’re going to be dating, we have to get our story straight,” you laughed.

Josh groaned, “All the nitty gritty details?”

“Every last one. I mean, you do want this to be believable, don’t you?”

He rolled his eyes, “Yes.”

“Well, if we’re leaving tomorrow, I have to start packing.”

Much to your surprise, Josh followed you as you walked off to your room. He sat down on your bed and you walked towards the closet. Your suitcase was sitting dauntingly on the top shelf.

“Josh,” you said.

“Yeah?” he twisted around to face you.

“Mind giving me a hand?”

Josh got up and expertly got the suitcase down from the top shelf. He barely had to get on his toes to reach it.

“Thanks,” you smiled as he handed it to you.

He kicked off his shoes and relaxed on the bed. Meanwhile, you set your suitcase on the bench at the end of your bed and started to make a list on your phone of all the clothes you would need.

“So how did we meet, darling?” Josh asked, putting on his sweetest smile.

You looked over to him and raised your eyebrows, the smallest hint of a smile on your lips.

“Well,” you started in a cheesy voice, “it all started one fateful day when I decided to move into this apartment I found on Eighth Street,” you smiled. “You see, my neighbor was terribly loud, and I was always stomping around the apartment and grumbling about how impossibly annoying the drumming next door was. Then one day, as I was stomping around, someone knocked on my door. Much to my surprise, it was the annoying boy from next door who also so happened to be amazingly attractive. I still remember exactly what he said, ‘Is my drumming bothering you? Because I can totally stop if you need me to…’ with that cute smile on your face like you have right now,” you laughed, suddenly breaking the flow of the story. “Anyway, then the impossibly cute boy and I started talking to each other more until he finally became one of my best friends.”

“Seems about right,” Josh laughed.

“So, Dun, where did you take me on our first date?” you asked as you neatly folded some shirts into your suitcase.

“You see, as I got to know the amazing girl from the apartment next door, I quickly learned that she loved the sky, so I drove her up on a hill that overlooked the city and together we sat on the roof of my car and watched as the sun sank lower in the sky. It was the same night that I learned she loved space and having deep conversations about life. We also shared a passionate first kiss,” he smirked.

You balled up the jeans that you had in your hand and lobbed them at him, to which he quickly caught.

“And here I was thinking you were being cute,” you crinkled up your nose.

He tossed you the jeans and you quickly refolded them before sticking them back into your suitcase.

Josh stayed the entire time that you spent packing. By the time you had everything, you had a solid story formulated. The sun had pretty much set in the sky, casting dark shadows onto the walls.

“See you tomorrow at ten?” Josh asked, his hand resting lightly on the door handle.

You nodded. He gave you one final smile before disappearing out the door. You turned on your heel and headed for the kitchen. In less than 24 hours, you would be in Columbus, Ohio, pretending to be someone you weren’t.


	2. Chapter 2

Your alarm went off at 9:00 the next morning. You rolled over and shut it off, groaning loudly to yourself.

You threw the covers off of yourself, knowing it was the only thing that would convince you to get out of bed. It wasn’t even as early as you would have to get up for work, but being you, you had stayed up late the past night with the prospect of sleeping in on the horizon.

You shuffled to the bathroom and stripped off your pajamas. The water when you first turned on the shower was freezing, but it didn’t take long for it to warm up to a comfortable temperature. You stepped in, letting the warmth wash over your cold body. Once your body was clean and your legs were smooth, you forced yourself to step out of the warm shower. You quickly wrapped a towel around your body and dried off your hair.

You jogged down the cold hallway to your room, where clothes that you had picked out last night were spread out on your bed. Your NASA shirt was the obvious choice, as it was your only shirt that looked nice and you were still willing to wear around for hours at a time. You paired it with your favorite pair of black jeans and a gray cardigan that your best friend had gotten you for your birthday a few years back. Once you were dressed, you walked back to the bathroom.

You hairdryer was still sitting on the counter from a couple days ago, so you turned it on and got to work. As soon as your hair was completely dry, you pulled it up into a loose pile of hair on top of your head that barely passed for a messy bun. Since you wouldn’t have any time to dress yourself up before meeting Josh’s family, you had to get fully ready now. A long flight in uncomfortable clothes caused you to roll my eyes.

Once your face was washed, you headed back to your room and took a seat at your vanity. Your makeup was going to be a process, so the sooner you started, the better. You squeezed primer onto your hand and began the ordeal that was doing your makeup.

Half an hour later, you found yourself in the kitchen staring down at a loaf of bread. Snapping yourself out of your tired stupor, you opened it up and cut yourself two pieces. Next door, Josh’s music was blaring, signaling that he had woken up. You quickly buttered your bread and took a seat on the couch.

Any attempt you made to watch TV was quickly drowned out by the music blaring through the walls. You quickly shut off the TV and resolved to eat your breakfast to the muffled sound of Josh’s singing.

With only ten minutes left until Josh was going to burst in, announcing the time to go, you rushed back into your room and braided your hair. It took you a bit longer than you expected, so you once again found yourself running out to the hallway to pull you shoes on. You were in the middle of tying the left one when, right at ten, the door burst open, revealing a very happy looking Josh. He was wearing a flannel pulled over a gray t-shirt. A backwards hat was sitting on top of his mess of pink hair.

“‘Morning,” he smiled.

You finished tying up your shoe, “You weren’t kidding when you said you would see me at ten, were you?” you smiled, standing up and brushing off your pants.

“Nope.”

“Where’s Tyler?”

“He’ll be here soon, he was finishing up breakfast.”

You nodded and walked back into your room to grab your suitcase. Josh was leaned against the counter, looking down at his phone when you returned.

“I got something for you,” he smiled, looking up at you.

You raised an eyebrow at him as he reached into his flannel pocket and pulled out something small. He held it out to you. You took it in your hands and unraveled it. It was a thin chain with an outline of Saturn on the end.

“You got me a necklace?” you asked quizzically.

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t get you something now and then?” he asked.

“A fake one,” you laughed, undoing the clasp of the necklace. “Put it on, would you?” you asked, holding it out to him.

He took it from you and put it around your neck, snapping it closed.

“Thanks,” you smiled, adjusting it so that it hung nicely.

“Ready to go?”

You glanced around your apartment, double checking that everything was in its place.

“I think so.”

You grabbed your keys from beside the door and shut the final light off. Once you were both in the hallway, you closed the door and locked it, double checking the handle.

“Alright,” you said, spinning on your heel to face him.

He nodded and together you walked next door to collect Tyler. Josh swung open the door, revealing Tyler hunched over the table, scooping out the last remnants of his yogurt.

“Ready, Tyler?” Josh asked, striding into the room.

“Almost,” Tyler answered, staring intently at his yogurt.

“Is Jenna coming?” you asked.

Tyler looked over to me, “Oh, hey, Y/N! Yeah, she is. She’s visiting some friends out of town right now so she’s flying into Columbus later tonight.”

Tyler finished his last bite of yogurt and tossed the container in the trash. He quickly wiped off his hands on his jeans and turned to you.

“Let’s do this.”

You all grabbed your suitcases and headed out into the cold hallway. You pulled your cardigan tighter around you, although it didn’t help much.

“Want my jacket?” Josh asked as you stepped into the elevator.

“Won’t you be cold?” you asked.

He shrugged, “I’ll be fine.”

“I suppose.”

He took off his jacket and handed it to you. You pulled it on and immediately warmed up. It was big on you, which only added to the warmth it was providing, not to mention you could tuck your hands up into the sleeves.

The elevator dinged and the three of you walked out into the lobby. Trees were swaying wildly in the wind outside, just seeing how windy it was made you wince. Tyler walked ahead of you and held the door open. You thanked yourself for deciding to put your hair up today, having it down would have been a pain. That’s what happened when you lived in Y/C/N in October, you supposed.

You followed Josh to where he parked his car on the side of the building. He opened the trunk and put his suitcase in it, followed closely by Tyler’s. You started to follow suit, but Josh stopped you.

“Allow me,” he said, grabbing your suitcase and placing it in the back in one swift motion.

“I can do it, Josh,” you said, crossing your arms.

He slammed the trunk closed, “Then what kind of boyfriend would I be?” he smiled.

“You’re not my boyfriend,” you groaned, followed closely by an eye roll.

You opened the back door and slid into the backseat. Tyler was already settled in the front seat, typing away on his phone. Jenna, probably. The door creaked as Josh opened it and climbed in. You pulled out your phone and quickly texted a few people, letting them know that you would be out of town for the weekend. Everything had happened so fast that you barely had time to plan anything.

The engine revved up, and within seconds Josh had pulled out onto the road that ran in front of your building. The roar of the engine cut through the early morning air as Josh cruised down the road. You leaned back against the leather seat and looked up at the tall buildings of Y/C/N. Josh turned up the radio and his music blared throughout the car.


	3. Chapter 3

You lost track of time while you were in the car, quickly getting lost in the music and scenery of the city. The creak of the front doors snapped you out of your trance. You quickly opened the door and slid out of the backseat. Josh and Tyler were already standing at the back of the car, pulling their suitcases out of the trunk. Josh had already set yours on the ground next to the car, so you quickly pulled on your backpack and extended the handle.

Tyler glanced at you, “Ready?” he asked.

You nodded. You all fell into step as you walked into the airport. Once you were inside, Tyler quickly spotted the airline you were taking and led your small group through the large crowd to get in line.

“I can handle the talking,” Josh said, turning to you.

You looked up at him, almost a bit surprised, but didn’t say anything. If there was one thing you hated, it was talking to people, especially in the airport. You spent your time in line people watching. One of your favorite things to do in the airport was think of where people could possibly be going. It wasn’t until Josh said your name for a third time that you snapped out of it.

“You coming?” he asked, standing a few feet away from you at the counter.

You nodded and quickly went up to stand by him. The lady behind the counter smiled tautly at you before asking Josh a few questions. You remained silent and continued to look around. Josh handed you a boarding pass and turned on his heel. You followed him to an out of the way place where you could wait for Tyler.

There were already lots of people in line for security, despite it not being the most popular flying time yet. You listened to the boys talking about how excited they were to see their family again while you waited. There wasn’t much you could contribute to that conversation, not being from Ohio and all.

The sound of TSA officers calling out directions became prevalent as you neared the front. Before you knew it, you were untying your shoes and sticking them in the basket, along with various other objects you had on you.

“Josh, can you get my necklace?” you asked, turning to him.

Josh’s fingers brushed against the back of your neck as he undid the clasp. You could feel your hair standing up and you hoped that he couldn’t.

“Here,” he said, handing it to you.

“Thanks,” you said, taking it and putting it inside your shoe.

Josh lifted your suitcase onto the belt.

“Next!”

You walked through the detector. Thankfully, there were no beeps and you half-jogged to get your stuff. Josh walked over as you were putting your shoes back on. He smiled at you and grabbed his own shoes. You stood up and brushed off your jeans before grabbing your backpack and swinging it over your shoulder. Josh straightened out after he finished tying his shoes.

“Need help with the necklace?” he asked.

You pulled it out of your pocket and handed it to him before spinning around. Once again, his fingers brushed against the back of your neck.

“There,” he said.

“Thanks.”

You all grabbed your suitcases and headed off towards your gate.

“What time does boarding start?” you asked.

“In about half an hour,” Tyler stated.

You nodded. Tyler pulled out his phone and began to respond to a text message, meanwhile Josh was fiddling with something on his shirt. You looked down at your feet as you walked, slightly mesmerized by the carpet pattern.

Josh suddenly grabbed you arm and pulled you quickly to the side. You looked up just in time to see an equally flustered man looking up from his phone.

“Sorry,” you mumbled quickly before falling back into step with everyone.

“Better watch where you’re going,” Josh laughed, giving you a nudge in the arm.

“Shut it, Dun,” you retorted.

Tyler slipped his phone back into his pocket and glanced over at the two of you, a slight smile on his face. Just as you were about to say something, you arrived at your gate. Tyler and Josh sunk into chairs, but you remained standing.

“I think I’m going to grab something to drink,” you announced, grabbing your wallet from your backpack and tossing it onto a nearby chair.

“I’ll go with you,” Josh said, immediately standing back up.

“I’ll stay here and guard our stuff,” Tyler said, once again pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“Want us to grab you anything?” you asked.

He appeared to think it over for a moment, “How about a coffee?”

“Cream and cinnamon?”

“You know me too well,” Tyler laughed.

You turned on your heel and started off towards the nearest Starbucks. Josh quickly fell into step with you.

“Nervous?” he asked.

You shrugged, “Not yet. I will be by the time we touch down in Ohio though. Speaking of which, how are you holding up?”

“I’d be lying if I said I was fine.”

You bumped your shoulder lightly into his, “I’ll be there the whole time.”

He nodded, although you could still see how nervous he was. Luckily, you arrived to the Starbucks which would help him take his mind off of things. He followed you up to the counter.

“Hi, what can I get for you?” the barista asked. He was tall with sandy blond hair and bright blue eyes. You could feel your heartbeat speeding up.

“Can I get a hot chocolate?” you stuttered. “Grande.”

He nodded as he wrote it down, “Can I get a name?”

“Y/N.”

“That’s a gorgeous name,” he smiled up at you.

Almost instantly, Josh snaked an arm around your waist. He pulled you close to him, so that your hip was pressed against his. The barista almost instantly shifted his demeanor, becoming very quiet.

“Can I get you anything else?”

“A grande coffee, please.”

While he was writing, you turned to Josh, “Did you want anything?”

“I’m good.”

“Alright, anything else?” the barista asked.

“Can I get a slice of pumpkin bread?”

“Toasted?”

“No, thanks.”

“Is that all?”

“Yeah.”

“Your total is $9.50.”

You shuffled through your wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill. He took it from your hand and quickly handed you back your fifty cents. His personality had completely changed, probably because of the dirty looks Josh was no doubt giving him from behind you. You dumped the fifty cents into the tip jar and walked off towards the other side of the counter, releasing yourself from Josh’s arm.

“What was that?” you asked in a hushed whisper, your arms crossed tightly across your chest as Josh sauntered over to me.

“What was what?”

“We aren’t dating, Josh. Did you remember that?” you asked.

“I was just practicing!”

“Practicing my ass,” you groaned. “You just don’t like it when guys flirt with me. You never have, yet you flirt with girls all the time.”

“Whatever, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again…until we’re in Ohio that is,” he said.

You groaned and rolled your eyes, although a smile still formed on your face. It was impossible to stay mad at him.

“Grande hot chocolate for Y/N!” the barista called. “And a slice of pumpkin bread.”

You stepped forward and grabbed your drink, quickly slipping a sleeve over it, before grabbing the small paper bag too. Josh stayed a few steps behind you. You brought the drink slowly to your lips in an attempt to gauge how hot it was, which only left you with a burnt tongue.

“Can I try a sip?” Josh asked.

“Only if you don’t mind scalding your tongue,” you laughed, holding it slightly towards him.

“I’ll pass,” he smiled.

“Grande coffee for Y/N!”

“Hold this, would you?” you asked, forcing your drink and food into his hands.

You once again stepped forward and grabbed the coffee and slipped a sleeve over it. Josh followed you as you walked over to the little station and began to pour a mixture of cinnamon and cream into Tyler’s coffee.

“Can you explain to me how you have Tyler’s coffee order memorized and I don’t?” he asked.

“You must have forgotten how many times Tyler and I go out to coffee,” you chuckled, pressing the lid of his drink back on. “Trade me?”

You turned around just in time to see Josh helping himself to your pumpkin bread. His eyes widened, but you only rolled yours in response. He handed you your drink and what was left of the pumpkin bread before taking Tyler’s coffee.

“Boarding starts in twenty minutes, which means Tyler is going to be freaking out,” Josh laughed.

“Guess we better pick up the pace,” you smiled, lengthening your strides a bit.

Josh took one long stride and immediately caught up with you.

“I don’t think I’m the one that needs to pick up the pace,” he smirked.

You groaned. You and Josh didn’t talk much as you walked back to the gate, only the occasional snarky comment from Josh or him making a comment about a passing stranger.

Tyler looked relieved when you returned with his coffee. You sat down across from the two guys and pulled out your pumpkin bread.

“Boarding starts in just under twenty minutes. You guys have your boarding passes?”

You reached into your backpack and pulled yours out to show Tyler. Just then, your stomach started to twist as the reality of what you had agreed to started to set in.

“Holy crap,” you said quietly.

“What? Did you not have your boarding pass? Did you forget something?” Tyler started to rattle off questions.

“No. It just kind of set in that I’m going to Ohio to pretend to be Josh’s girlfriend in front of his entire family. Everything has been moving so fast lately that it didn’t really set in until now…”

“You’re going to be fine,” Josh said, leaning forward and putting a hand to your shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

You nodded and took a hesitant sip of your drink. Tyler continued to look at his phone and Josh leaned back in his chair, glancing around nonchalantly.

“This is perfect, Y/N. Thanks,” Tyler smiled.

Josh turned to his friend, “Hey, I helped!”

Tyler turned to Josh and rolled his eyes.

“Barely,” you scoffed before taking a long sip of your drink. Tyler smiled at your remark.

You leaned back a bit in your chair and tried to take deep breaths. Josh’s absent minded drumming on his leg helped to distract you.

“Ten minutes until boarding,” Tyler commented.

“I’m going to head to the bathroom real quick,” you said, setting your drink down on the ground.

“Hurry back,” Tyler said.

You nodded as you walked off. People were rushing through the hallways, suitcases following close behind them. They weren’t too hard to dodge as you headed towards the bathroom.

Luckily, there was no line so you quickly got in and out of a stall. You stared at your reflection as you washed your hands.

Millions of questions ran through your head as you washed your hands. Would Josh’s family even like you? How long was this lie going to have to continue? What if he actually develops feelings for you and you’ll have to reject him? Would you reject him?

You shook your head. The scenarios you were making up were getting way out of hand. Josh had said himself that his parents would love you and there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

Tyler once again looked relieved to see you, “Five minutes until boarding.”

You grabbed your bag and pulled it over your shoulder. Tyler stood up and looked between his and Josh’s passes.

“It looks like you’re in the middle, Y/N.”

“Awesome,” you sighed.

Being stuck between them on a small airplane for any amount of time, let alone a plane ride, wasn’t exactly the ideal situation to be in, but it could also be a lot worse. Tyler continued to shuffle through things as you waited for boarding to start. Josh had his duffle bag in one hand and was looking around at the people around you. You noticed that he was biting his lip nervously.

“Now boarding Zone 2,” crackled through the loudspeaker.

You noticed Josh tense. He was fidgeting with his boarding pass in his free hand. The three of you moved to stand in line.

“Nervous?” you turned to him.

“No,” he tried to look almost offended by your comment.

You raised your eyebrow as he turned to you.

“Alright, fine, maybe a little.”

“You’re going to be fine,” you said, lightly bumping into his shoulder with your own.

He nodded, “You’re going to be with me the whole time?”

“Right between you and Tyler.”

“Ok.”

Tyler handed his boarding pass to the lady behind the counter. She quickly scanned it.

“Enjoy your flight.”

She grabbed your boarding pass and scanned it.

Once again, “Enjoy your flight.”

You started to follow Tyler towards the plane, but you stayed a few paces behind.

“Enjoy your flight.”

You could hear Josh’s footsteps behind you as he caught up. Tyler was already ahead, eager to get on the plane and to Ohio. He was checking every seat number as you walked past, scanning for seat 26. You, meanwhile, were trying to keep your bag from smacking everyone you walked past.

“Here,” Tyler said, pointing to the next row of seats.

“Put this up there, would you?” you asked Tyler, gesturing to your bag.

He easily scooped it up and slid it into the overhead compartment.

“Tyler, you go first,” you said, gesturing to the seats.

He nodded and slid into his seat. Once he was settled, you took your spot in the middle. Finally, Josh sat down.

“You’re going to be fine,” you reassured him.

He turned to face you, “I hope so.”

You sat around while people settled in and they went over safety procedures. Josh, on the other hand, was listening attentively. He always got nervous before takeoff.

The plane started to move away from the gate and you noticed Josh visually tense up. He was holding onto the armrest so tightly that his knuckles were white. Without saying a word, you reached over and pulled his hand away from the armrest, instead replacing it with your hand. He held on tightly to your hand, as if letting go of it would cause him to fly out of the plane.

He squeezed your hand tighter as the plane began to pick up speed. By the time that you were in the air, you thought your hand was going to fall off. You kept quiet, though, you didn’t want Josh to feel bad. It wasn’t long until you were in the air and flying smoothly.


	4. Chapter 4

You woke up to Tyler nudging you in the side. It took you a second to remember where you were. You hadn’t even realized that you had fallen asleep, or that you were leaned on Josh’s shoulder, or that his head was resting on yours…

Josh sat up straight and you quickly removed your head from his shoulder. Your hands were still intertwined too, so you quickly pulled yours away. You didn’t want either of them getting the wrong idea, you had just been trying to calm Josh down a bit.

Josh had already grabbed your suitcase from overhead, so you quickly popped the handle and started to leave the plane. You could feel your face burning red from what had just happened. Tyler and Josh didn’t seem to be paying much attention, instead they were discussing who might be at the wedding.

“So, finding your parents?” you asked once you were all off the plane.

Josh pulled out his phone, “They said they were waiting in the reception area.”

“Let’s head there, then,” Tyler said.

“Ready, love?” Josh asked, slipping an arm around your waist.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Tyler nodded and three of you followed the crowd of people out of the gate. You hadn’t ever been to Ohio before, so you were continually looking around at various spots in the airport, allowing yourself to be guided by Josh’s arm.

“There they are,” Tyler said, gesturing to two middle aged people standing near the wall.

“Josh! Tyler!” Josh’s mom smiled as you got closer. She pulled each of them into a hug before turning to you, “And you must be the lovely Y/N.”

“That’s me,” you smiled.

She pulled you into a tight hug. You hesitated at first, but, not wanting to appear rude, hugged her just as tightly in return.

“Oh, how rude of me. My name is Laura,” she said once she released you, holding out a hand.

“I’ve heard lots of wonderful things about you,” you smiled, shaking her hand. This only caused her to smile wider.

“Y/N! Nice to meet you. Bill Dun,” his dad said, holding out his hand.

“Nice to meet you too,” you smiled, doing your best to give him a strong handshake.

Once you had officially met both of Josh’s parents, Josh once again slid an arm around your waist. Even though you weren’t dating, it helped to calm the nerves that you still had. Tyler fell into step with Josh’s parents, allowing you and Josh to hang back a bit.

“Are you doing ok? I know this is probably overwhelming for you.”

You laughed a bit, “No kidding. I’m fine right now, but I don’t know how well I’ll do at the wedding and reception with so many people. Just…stay near me, ok?”

“Whatever makes you feel comfortable.”

“Speaking of which, do you mind just holding my hand for now? It’s not that I don’t like your arm around me, I’m just afraid I’m going to trip over my suitcase,” you laughed.

Without a word, he removed his arm from around your waist and laced his fingers with yours. You squeezed his hand as a silent thank you. It felt weird to be acting this way around Josh, yet at the same time, it was almost natural.

The sun was shining brightly as you walked outside of the airport and towards the parking lot.

“How many people are at the house, Mom?” Josh asked.

“Your cousins and most of your aunts and uncles got in this morning. Your cousin, Jeremy, has been here for almost a week now with his fiancée.”

Josh nodded.

“Derek was talking about cooking up some barbecue for everyone tonight, too,” Bill added.

“That’s one of my Dad’s brothers,” Josh leaned over to you.

You nodded.

“Well, here we are,” Bill said, patting the hood of an old truck.

Josh helped you load your suitcase into the back before walking around the side of the car and opening the door for you.

“After you,” he smiled.

You rolled your eyes, “You just don’t want to be in the middle,” you said as you stepped into the car.

“I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t true,” he said as he climbed into the back of the truck after you.

Tyler slid in next to you, leaving you barely any room to sit. It didn’t help that Josh wrapped an arm around your shoulder either. To try and give yourself a bit more space, you leaned over and rested your head on his shoulder, which allowed for you to scoot closer to him.

Laura turned around in the front seat so that she could face you. You lifted your head off of Josh’s shoulder, you didn’t want to appear rude.

“So, Y/N, Josh has barely told us anything about you! How long have you two known each other?”

You thought it over for a moment, “I think it’s been about four years now. I moved into my current apartment right after I finished college, and Josh just so happened to be my next door neighbor. We quickly became friends and then he finally got the guts to ask me out,” you smiled, turning to Josh for added effect.

“So where are you currently working?”

“There’s a little café just a little ways down from our apartment building that I work at. I’m also currently working on a novel,” you said sheepishly.

“Oh! What is it about?”

“Mom,” Josh chimed in, “That’s plenty of questions. She’s had a long day, you don’t have to grill her.”

“My bad, I suppose I just got carried away. You just never talk about her Josh!”

“You’re fine, Mrs. Dun,” you said, throwing a sideways glance at Josh.

“Please, call me Laura.”

You nodded and smiled at her. She turned back to the front of the car and started to make conversation with Bill. You leaned back onto Josh’s shoulder and closed your eyes. He reached over with his free hand and grabbed yours that were resting in your lap, giving them a light squeeze.

The sound of the truck driving over gravel woke you up from your quick nap. Josh turned to look at you and smiled upon noticing that you were awake. Traveling must have taken more out of you than you thought. Not too far ahead, you could see light in the windows of their house. Bill drove a little further before pulling off the road and into a makeshift parking spot in the grass with the other cars.

“We’re here,” Josh said, untangling his hands from your own.

“Where’d Tyler go?” you asked, quickly noticing your missing friend.

“We dropped him off at home so that he could spend some time with his family tonight. Don’t worry, you’ll see him again tomorrow,” Josh quickly reassured you.

You quickly shook my head a bit to wake yourself up and slid out of the truck. Bill was working on grabbing all your suitcases from the back of the truck. Josh quickly swooped in and grabbed yours, so you reached out a hand to take it from him.

“I got it.”

“Josh,” you started.

“Trust me, I’ve got it,” he smiled.

You shook your head, but didn’t protest any further. Instead, you just took your laptop bag and followed everyone inside.

“Are you going to be ok with all these people?” Josh asked. “Because we can head straight up to my room if you want.”

“I’ll be ok. I mean, I have to face them at some point. Besides, I’ve met your siblings a few times so I can always rely on them.”

“Just stay close to me, ok?”

“Trust me, I will.”

You followed Josh up the steps and into the house. Before the door was even open, you could hear music intermixed with voices and the sound of glasses and cans clinking. Josh turned back to face you, and you managed to muster a smile.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the oldest Dun child!” someone called loudly as soon as the door opened. “And who’s this young lady?”

“Uncle Derek, this is my girlfriend, Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you,” you smiled, holding a hand out.

He offered you his free hand, his other was holding tightly to a beer.

“Guess it wasn’t such a bad thing that Josh waited this long, eh?” he laughed loudly, causing a general uproar throughout the house.

You felt uncomfortable with all this attention shifted to you, but you did your best to remain cool and collected. You wanted to make a good first impression on these people, even if you weren’t who Josh said you were.

“Well, we’ll be back down in a second. We have to take our stuff upstairs,” Josh smiled, lifting up your bags slightly.

“Don’t take too long,” Derek winked at you.

You followed Josh up a staircase that led to the left, happy to be away from the crowd of people. He turned right at the top of the stairs and opened the first door. It opened up to a relatively spacious room.

A bed was pushed against the wall on the right, and straight across from the door was a window seat that would typically look out across their property, although it was dark outside now. A closet was straight across from the bed, next to which was a door, which you only assumed could be a bathroom. There was also a small bookshelf to the right of the bed and a desk on the far side of it.

“My mom rearranged it after I moved out to act as more of a guest bedroom because family is over so often, but it will always be my room to me.”

“It’s a beautiful room.”

“If you think this is nice, wait until you see the barn all done up for the wedding.”

“Barn? I never realized your parents had so much property.”

“You’ll get to see it all tomorrow, I’m sure.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Well, are you ready to head back downstairs?”

Your head flicked up to look at Josh, “Just one more minute?” you smiled widely.

He walked over and flopped down on the bed, “Whatever you want, love.”

You walked over to the window seat and pulled your legs up in front of you. Your stomach started twisting with the thought of going back into the crowds of people again.

“If we stay up here too long, they’re going to start getting suspicious,” Josh laughed.

“If only they knew,” you added, joining his laughter.

“Alright. Time’s up, let’s get back down there.”

You groaned loudly, but got up from the window seat nonetheless. Josh grabbed your hand and slid his fingers between yours. You followed him out into the hallway and back down the stairs.

“Joshy!” someone called loudly once again, although it was a female voice this time.

“Ashley!” Josh smiled happily.

A familiar girl came weaving through the crowd up to you. It was one of Josh’s sisters, and you were relieved to see someone you actually recognized.

“Y/N, you remember my sister Ashley. Ash, this is my girlfriend, Y/N.”

She raised an eyebrow at Josh, but he shot her a look.

“I didn’t even realize you two had started dating,” she laughed, playing along. “Never thought you the type to settle down,” she punched him lightly in the arm.

“Neither did I, then she came along,” he smiled, pulling you closer to him. You smiled up at him.

“Well, it’s nice to know that he has you,” she smiled at you. “I can tell that you make him really happy.”

“Trust me, she does,” he smirked.

“Hey!” you laughed, reaching over and punching him with your free hand.

“TMI, Josh,” Abigail made a disgusted face. Josh only shrugged.

“Ash! You gotta come see this!” someone called across the room.

“That’s my cue,” she said, “Nice seeing you!” she added before quickly darting off.

“You too,” you replied, although she didn’t seem to hear you. “Your sisters are the coolest,” you turned to Josh.

“Yeah, my family is the coolest,” he said. “Ready to move on?”

You took a deep breath, “Let’s do this.”


	5. Chapter 5

You spent the rest of the night meeting various members of Josh’s family. Each person you met was just another person you had to mentally catalogue. Based on the people that you had met so far, the Dun family was huge, and this was just a small sampling of them.

People were starting to head out around 10:30, so you and Josh decided to head upstairs for bed. You flopped face first down onto the bed, it was the first chance you had had to sit since you had gone downstairs.

“How do you do it?” you asked Josh, who was busy changing into pajamas.

“Do what?”

“Keep all those people straight! There’s just so many.”

“They’re family, it just kinda happens. It also helps that they were over here almost every other weekend when we were kids.”

“I wish my family had been like that. There’s so many people, just none of them like to be around one another,” you explained as you gathered up your pajamas from your suitcase.

“It was nice. I should take you down to the lake we used to play at tomorrow. It really is a beautiful place.”

You grabbed your toiletry bag from your suitcase and headed into the bathroom.

“That would be fun. Alright, I’m gonna change now,” you said, shutting the bathroom door behind you.

You opened your bag and pulled out your various facial products. There wasn’t much makeup on your face, but it still felt nice to take it all off and properly clean your face. It had been a long day and you were excited to finally have some time to yourself to relax.

You quickly finished changing and brushing your teeth and headed back out into the bedroom. Josh was wandering around in a pair of sweatpants, his shirt nowhere to be found. You, on the other hand, had opted for a t-shirt and shorts.

“You finally done in there?” he laughed, gesturing slightly to the bathroom with his arm.

“Have at it,” you smiled.

He walked into the bathroom, followed closely by, “Holy shit!”

“What?” you asked, spinning around.

He poked his head out of the bathroom, “How much stuff did you bring?”

“Wait until I have to do my makeup tomorrow,” you laughed.

“Trust me, I’ve seen your vanity enough times to know.”

You rolled your eyes and walked back over to your suitcase. From the bathroom, you could hear the sound of Josh brushing his teeth.

You walked over to the bed and laid down on it, staring up at the ceiling. Everything that had happened in the past few hours seemed surreal. You had come to Ohio, lied directly to his parents’ faces about dating Josh, met almost all of his family, and now you were about to sleep in the same bed as him, not that it mattered. A couple years after you had met, the lock on Josh and Tyler’s front door had broken and Tyler had refused to stay in their apartment until it was fixed. Quick to call dibs, Tyler got to stretch out on the couch while you and Josh squished into your queen sized bed. Two nights he slept in your bed with you. But this? It all felt like some crazy dream that you were going to wake up from at any moment. Just then, Josh walked back into the bedroom and flipped the bathroom light off.

“Alright, how do you want to do this?” he asked.

“This bed will fit both of us, right?” you looked at him, sitting up.

“But is that what you want?” he asked.

“Well that depends, are you going to put on a shirt? Because if you do, that might be a dealbreaker,” you laughed.

He smiled and shook his head, “I can keep my shirt off.”

“I honestly don’t care,” you said. “Whatever you’re comfortable in.”

He shrugged and walked over to the bed.

“You want to sleep under all the covers?” he asked.

“Does it get cold in here at night?”

“Yeah, my mom likes to conserve heating so she just shuts it off at night and tells us to bundle up,” he smiled.

“Alright, all the covers would be best then.”

You hopped off the bed so that he could pull the covers down. He tugged on them, causing the pillows to go flying everywhere. This caused you to start laughing.

“Hey,” Josh said, grabbing a pillow, “you try doing that perfectly.”

“I could probably do it better than you,” you smiled.

This caused him to lob a pillow at you.

“Watch it, Dun,” you warned, grabbing a pillow, “I think you’re forgetting who you’re up against.”

“Is that a threat?” he asked, grabbing another pillow and raising his eyebrows.

“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t,” you smirked.

“You’re lucky I’m tired,” he said, “otherwise you’d be getting your ass whooped.”

“Is that so?” you asked with a hand on your hip.

“I’ve got an eye on you, Y/L/N.”

“Sure you do, Dun.”

You tossed your pillow back onto the bed and climbed under the covers. Josh followed soon after and quickly found himself a comfortable position. You, on the other hand, took awhile to get comfortable.

“Do you ever stop moving?” he groaned with a glance over his shoulder.

“Sorry. It takes me awhile to get comfortable in beds that aren’t my own.”

“Just get some sleep. There’s a lot to do tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah. Goodnight, Josh.”

“G‘night, Y/N.”

You managed to find a comfortable position, although your mind was too busy racing to fall asleep. Something felt different. Being around Josh wasn’t the same as it had been for so many years. The relaxed friendship that you had once shared seemed more tense now, like every word you said had to be carefully thought out. Maybe it was just the situation that you had been thrown into, but at the same time, it seemed like something much bigger.

You continued to think about the day’s events until you eventually managed to get yourself to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

You woke up before Josh the next morning, so you took the opportunity to slip into the shower. As quietly as possible, you gathered up your clothes for the day and headed into the bathroom.

You locked the door behind you to ensure Josh wouldn’t come waltzing in at any given moment. The shower took a little while to warm up, and you spent your time jogging around the bathroom to keep warm. As soon as it was ready, you hopped in and let out a sigh of relief. You showered quickly, not wanting to waste the warm water for the rest of the family.

You stepped out of the shower and quickly dried off before wrapping your hair up in a towel. From what you could hear, Josh had yet to get up. You started to reach for your clothes that were still in a pile on the ground, but decided on another plan that would help convince everyone that you were dating. Stealthily, you snuck back into the bedroom and over to Josh’s suitcase. A few t-shirts were tossed on the top, so you grabbed one that looked like it would fit ok before hurrying back into the bathroom before Josh woke up.

Once you were safely in the bathroom, you pulled on your jeans and Josh’s oversized t-shirt. Happy with how your outfit looked, you decided to do your makeup and hair. You went with something simple since you would have to fix it up later for the rehearsal dinner, anyway.

You walked back into the bedroom, expecting Josh to be awake by now since it had taken you nearly 45 minutes to get ready. Much to your surprise, he was still fast asleep and now sprawled out across the bed. You shook your head with a smile, this was your best friend. Seeing the perfect opportunity, you walked over to the window seat and grabbed one of the small pillows. You took a second to line up your shot before lobbing it at Josh’s head.

It nailed him straight in the head, causing him to sit up at lightning speeds. His gaze landed on you, immediately causing his eyes to narrow.

“So maybe it was a threat,” you said innocently with a shrug.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head, “Is that my shirt?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

You looked down, as if to double check whether or not you were wearing his shirt.

“Oh, yeah. I figured it would be more convincing if I was wearing one of your shirts. I’ll have to change later anyway since we have the rehearsal dinner.”

He nodded in understanding.

“Now would you get your lazy ass up? I’m starving.”

“You can go downstairs. My mom wouldn’t care.”

“But I care. I’m not about to go down there alone and let all of your family members grill me.”

“It should just be my mom, dad, and siblings. Everyone else won’t get here until noon.”

“Where are they all staying? I thought they were all staying here?”

“There’s a hotel not too far from here for the people from out of town. As for the others, most of them live close, anyway.”

“Huh,” you said. “Anyway, we can talk later. Go get ready,” you waved an arm at him.

“Whatever you say, love,” he smirked as he walked into the bathroom.

You felt your heartbeat start to speed up at his words, but you pushed the feelings aside. You always had been, and would be, best friends.

While Josh was in the bathroom, you made the bed look nice again and pulled out your laptop. You sprawled out on the bed and opened up your most recent piece of writing.

Time quickly slipped away while you were writing and, before you knew it, Josh emerged from the bathroom ready for the day. You quickly closed your laptop and set it on the desk next to the bed.

“Ready to go, love?” Josh smiled.

“One more thing before we go downstairs.”

“Yes?”

“If you tell anyone that we supposedly had sex last night, I will personally hunt you down and ensure you never have sex again, alright? That is not the impression I intend to make on your family, whether we’re actually dating or not.”

Josh’s eyes widened at your statement, and you struggled to keep a straight face.

“Deal.”

“Awesome, let’s go get breakfast,” you smiled innocently.

You headed for the door and Josh followed close behind. He shut the bedroom door behind you and then wrapped an arm around your waist.

“Remember to breathe,” he said, pulling you slightly closer to him in a sideways hug.

“I try my best.”

You walked down the stairs and Josh guided me to the kitchen. The house looked completely different when it wasn’t packed full of various family members. Much more spacious.

In the dining room, Josh’s family was already sat around the dining table, eating their food. Tons of plates were spread out on the table, each containing a different kind of food. There was toast, eggs, bacon, bagels…Laura hadn’t wasted any time this morning, it seemed.

“Good morning, you two. Did you sleep well?” Laura smiled up at us.

“I slept great,” you smiled.

Josh nodded and removed his arm from your waist so that you could sit. You took a spot next to Ashley, who smiled brightly at you. It was hard not to feel out of place at the table, with you being the only one not from the Dun family.

“This looks wonderful, Laura,” you smiled. “Thank you for making all this.”

“Oh, it was no big deal. It’s like I was telling Abigail, it’s nice to have everyone home to cook for again,” she smiled.

You nodded and started to pile some food onto your plate. Since you arrived too late the previous night for dinner, you were starving.

Everyone made small talk during breakfast. Laura asked you some more questions since she still wanted to get to know you better. Josh eventually made her stop again, but you reassured her that it was fine and gave Josh a small kick in the shin under the table.

You were helping Laura and Abigail clean up dishes after breakfast when Ashley walked up to you. Josh and Jordan had gone off with Bill to help prepare something for later that night, while you and Josh’s sisters had stayed behind to help.

“Hey, Y/N, can we take a walk?”

“Yeah, just so long as you don’t need any more help, Laura?”

“Oh, no. You girls go on ahead,” she smiled.

“Ok, let us know if you need anything else, Mom,” Ashley smiled.

Ashley led you through the house out through a back door. It was the first real glimpse that you had gotten of the property, with its tall grass and trees that ringed around the edge. Blue skies were above you with only a few clouds in sight.

“Wow, Josh wasn’t kidding when he said it was beautiful out here.”

“Right? I love visiting home. There’s just an atmosphere out here that you don’t get in a big city.”

“I don’t blame you.”

You followed the gravel path that connected the house to the driveway and extended further down the property towards the barn.

“So what did you need to talk about?”

“I was just curious about you and Josh, is all. How long has that been going on?”

You felt your stomach lurch. If anyone was going to see through your lie, it was Ashley. Josh was closest with her out of all his siblings, and she was always visiting.

“About a year now,” you answered, hoping she wouldn’t see right through you.

“Really? Because when I was visiting you two a few months ago, you didn’t seem too lovey-dovey.”

You sighed, there was no point in lying to her, “Alright, fine. I’m pretending to be Josh’s girlfriend so your family would get off his case.”

“I knew it!” she smiled, clapping her hands together. “So, what made you do it?”

You shrugged, “Josh and I are close and I could see how worried he was about the whole thing. It was an easy enough fix, so I figured why not?”

“Are you sure you didn’t just want an excuse to act like his girlfriend for a week?”

“Of course not!”

“Alright, whatever you say. I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

Just then, someone came jogging across the yard towards you from the barn. The mess of pink hair made him unmistakable.

“Hey,” he smiled as he neared you. “I was wondering if you wanted to go down to the lake?” he asked, turning to you.

“Sure,” you smiled.

“Have fun you two,” Ashley smiled before walking back towards the house.

“What’s her deal?” Josh asked.

“Nothing,” you shook your head. “So where are we headed?”

“This way,” Josh said, pointing further down the gravel path.

You quickly fell into step with him as you walked down the beaten up gravel path. The sun was shining through the tree leaves, casting small spots of light all over the ground. Birds were chirping overhead and for the first time in awhile, you felt truly relaxed.

“It’s not too far from here, a couple minutes maybe,” Josh explained.

“It’s not a big deal, I don’t mind walking.”

“My cousins and I used to always go sprinting down this path in our bathing suits,” he smiled. “Whoever made it into the lake last had to run back and grab towels for everyone.”

“Did you ever lose?”

“Rarely. I used to run down here with Tyler and Jordan all the time as practice.”

“Is the lake warm?”

This caused Josh to laugh, “Far from it, but it feels nice on a really hot day. Sadly, today is not one of those days.”

Just then, the lake came into view. It wasn’t huge, more of an oversized pond, but it was one of the most beautiful places you had seen. Trees ringed most of the edge of the lake, and flowers grew in the empty spaces that the light could reach. A rope was tied to a branch, and you could practically see the kids clambering onto it and swinging into the cool water. Not too far from there, a swing was tied up to a tree that looked as if it extended out over the water.

“This is beautiful,” you gasped.

Josh turned to me with a huge smile on his face, “You think so?”

“Yeah. Mind if I swing?” you asked, gesturing to the small wooden plank tied to the tree.

“Have at it.”

You half walked-half jogged over to the little swing and sat in it. Your legs were a bit long for the low swing, but you kicked yourself off from the dirt nonetheless. Josh walked over and took a seat on a rock.

“There are so many things that happened at this place,” he smiled. “Just the smell of the dirt brings back so many memories.”

“Like what?” you asked as you passed by him.

Josh once again started smiling widely, “There was this time that I bet Tyler that he wouldn’t be able to run at the rope, grab it, and swing perfectly into the lake in one fluid movement. He did it, but not without belly flopping into the lake. His stomach was red for a week. My dad got pissed at me for it too.”

“Poor Tyler!”

“He was fine, just a bit sore.”

The conversation died after that. You continued to swing out over the lake and back again, each time being careful not to accidentally fling yourself into the water. The last thing you needed right now was to be soaking wet.

“How often do you come out here?” you asked.

“Usually once or twice a year. My siblings and I like to come together, so it’s hard to coordinate a time that works for all of us.”

You nodded, “It’s so peaceful out here. Nothing like our apartment on the outskirts of the city.”

“Yeah, I think that’s part of the reason why I love it so much. It’s so different from home.”

There was a pause in the conversation that was filled by the distant chirping of birds and wind in the trees.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

You turned to him, his question wasn’t what you had expected.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean how are you holding up so far? I know last night was pretty stressful for you, and I was just wondering how you were doing.”

“I’m doing ok. I mean, people have never been my strong suit but it’s not as bad when you’re with me. It’s like I have someone to fall back on if I say something stupid,” you smiled.

“That’s good,” he smiled. “I was worried that with so little time to prepare it would be too overwhelming, but I also knew you would be able to handle my family since you can handle me.”

“Speaking of that, why did you choose me to pretend to be your girlfriend?”

“Well, for one, you already put up with all my stupid antics on a daily basis, so I knew you wouldn’t have some outrageous reaction to me if I did something questionable. Not to mention that you know me best out of anybody, besides Tyler, that is.”

“Speaking of Tyler, why did he come out here with you if it’s your cousin getting married?”

“We’ve been friends since Kindergarten, so he basically is family. They just treat him like another one of my siblings. Plus, he never passes up a chance to visit his family.”

“I don’t blame him.”


	7. Chapter 7

You and Josh continued to talk about all sorts of things. He told you more stories about his childhood and you told him crazy stories about your mom’s various antics as a child. Before you knew it, you had to head back to the house so that you could get ready for the rehearsal dinner.

“I didn’t realize that we spent so long out there,” you said as you and Josh headed back up the path.

“Like I said, time can really slip away from you out there. I mean, my cousins and I would be out there from the moment we woke up until the moment we had to come in for dinner.”

You shook your head, “I wish my family had been like that.”

“Well, now you get to be a part of my family,” he smiled.

“Not technically,” you rolled your eyes.

Laura was standing out on the porch as you neared the house. She appeared to be looking out at something over towards the barn, probably monitoring the decorating process from afar. Josh autonomously took hold of your hand.

“There you two are,” she smiled as you came into her view. “I was wondering where you two had run off to.”

“We just spent some time out by the lake. I wanted to show her where I spent most of my time as a kid.”

“So you two had fun then?”

You both nodded.

“Alright, well you two better get ready for the rehearsal dinner. People are going to start showing up at any minute now!”

You and Josh hopped up the steps together, your hands still interlocked. The inside of the house was empty, which was unusual for this time of day.

“How long is it going to take you to get ready?” Josh asked as you climbed the steps.

“Probably an hour or so. I’ll have to do my hair, which will take me a little while.”

Josh rolled his eyes, although he still remained smiling. You lightly punched him in the arm to show your disapproval.

“If you were a girl, maybe you’d understand,” you argued.

“If you were a guy, maybe you’d understand my annoyance,” he retorted, causing you to roll your eyes.

Josh pushed the door to his room open and walked inside. He finally dropped your hand, allowing you to get more than a few feet away from him.

“You get ready first,” he said. “I’ll only need to be in there for about five minutes.”

You grabbed your dress and tights from your suitcase and headed into the bathroom. Most of your makeup was already laid out from that morning. Deciding that it would be easier to work from a clean slate, you cleaned up your face so that it was completely free of makeup.

Just over an hour later, you reappeared from the bathroom completely ready to go. Your hair was curled and pulled back into a low bun, your floral dress was on straight, and everything down to your lipstick was perfect. Josh looked up from his phone when he heard the door open. A smile instantly crossed his face.

“You look nice.”

“Thanks,” you shrugged, although a smile tugged at the corner of your lips.

“Are you all done?” he asked, starting to stand up.

“Have at it,” you said, tossing your clothes from the morning back onto your suitcase.

Josh grabbed his clothes and headed into the bathroom. You took a seat at the desk and pulled out your laptop. Even if you didn’t have much time to kill, any chance that you got to write you were willing to take.

Right as you were in the middle of a paragraph, Josh once again walked back out of the bathroom, fully ready to go. He was wearing a button-up shirt and nice pants and had even gone so far as to not wear a hat.

“Well don’t you clean up nice,” you joked.

He rolled his eyes, you knew he wasn’t particularly a fan of dressing up nice.

“Do I look ok?” he asked, giving you a spin.

“You look great.”

“Awesome,” he smiled, breathing a sigh of relief.

“And I look ok too?”

“I can assure you that all of my cousins are going to be very jealous of me tonight,” he smiled.

You could feel heat rising to your face. As someone who hadn’t been on very many dates in the past year, it was nice to hear that you may actually get some attention.

“So are you ready to go then? Dinner starts in twenty minutes.”

You looked over yourself, “Shoes!” you exclaimed, rushing over to your suitcase.

Your boots were sitting at the bottom of all your clothes, so you quickly dug them out and pulled them on.

“Now I’m ready,” you smiled.

“Awesome.”

Josh slipped an arm around your waist and together you walked out the door and down the stairs. You could already hear the hum of conversation from out on the porch.

“So who exactly is your cousin marrying?” you asked, suddenly realizing that you didn’t have a clue who the bride was.

“Her name is Nickie. They met at his work, a graphic design company, and quickly got engaged and all that. I haven’t even met the girl.”

“And Jeremy, you two are cousins, but through who?”

“Remember Derek?”

“How could I forget?”

Your comment caused Josh to smile, “Anyway, it’s his son.”

You nodded, “I still don’t understand how you keep them straight. Then again, you should see my family,” you laughed.

“Well if you ever need a fake boyfriend…”

You rolled your eyes and bumped your shoulder into Josh.

“Josh!” someone called from the yard.

There was a slight increase in volume as people acknowledged Josh. It was almost like he was a celebrity around here. You allowed Josh’s arm to guide you as you walked around the yard.

“Tyler!” Josh smiled.

Josh pulled his arm away from your waist so that he could hug Tyler. It always amazed you how happy they were to see each other, no matter how short of a time they had been apart.

“Boo!” someone said, placing their hands on your shoulders. You jumped and quickly turned around to see who had scared you.

“Jen!” you squealed, immediately recognizing your friend.

“Y/N!” she said, matching your excitement.

She pulled you into a hug, “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!”

“It’s only been a week!” she said.

“And a week too long, at that.”

She leaned in close and lowered her voice, “Tyler clued me in to what’s going on with you and Josh. How is that going?”

“Better than expected, I’ll tell you all about it later tonight.”

“Deal.”

“Hey, Josh!” someone else called.

Josh’s head swiveled around to see who was calling him. You turned to look and, sure enough, it was his siblings along with some of their cousins. He turned to look at you.

“Do you mind if I…?” he trailed off, pointing over his shoulder.

“Go hang out with your family,” you smiled. “I’ll survive here with Jenna and Tyler.”

“You’re the best,” he said before jogging across the yard to his family.

“So, what do you think of the family?” Jenna asked.

“There’s so many of them,” you sighed, “I can hardly keep them all straight, but they’re all such lovely people.”

“If you think Josh has a big family, you should try going to one of Tyler’s family reunions sometime…now that’s a huge family.”

“Well, if you’re ever busy and he needs a fake girlfriend…I have some experience,” you laughed.

“You should make business cards,” Jenna suggested jokingly. “This is a business that could really take off.”

You cringed and shook your head, causing Jenna to laugh.

“What’s got you two cracking up?” Tyler asked, suddenly rejoining the conversation.

“Nothing,” Jenna smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

People suddenly started to cheer. You tried to peer around the crowd of people standing in the yard, but to no avail. It could only be assumed that Jeremy and his bride-to-be had arrived.

“To the barn!” someone called.

The crowd suddenly started to move. Tyler wrapped an arm around Jenna, who quickly linked her arm with yours so that you wouldn’t get lost. That didn’t last long though, because Josh suddenly appeared from the crowd and grabbed your hand.

“I’m assuming you’re going to stick with Jenna and Tyler?” Josh asked.

“Where are you going?” you asked.

Tyler turned to Josh, “Did you fill her in on anything?” he asked.

“I was planning to do it on the plane, but we both fell asleep, and I couldn’t exactly do it in the car with my parents.”

“I’m one of Jeremy’s groomsmen, so I’ll have to go up and sit with the bride and groom. You guys will be with the rest of the family at tables.”

“I’ll be fine. What exactly do you guys do at your rehearsal dinners?” you asked.

“Basically, they set up a mic and family members take turns telling stories about the bride and groom. Derek cooks up food for everyone and we all get together and have a good laugh. Then the bride and groom thank some people. Once all that is done, everyone splits off into guys and girls and have their parties. That’s the Dun family way, at least,” Josh explained.

“Sounds fun,” you smiled.

You suppressed an audible gasp as you walked into the barn. Lights were strung up along the rafters and tables covered in white tablecloths were arranged periodically. On the far side of the barn was a long table with ten evenly spaced chairs. Jeremy and Nickie were already sat down, completely engrossed in one another.

“I better head up there,” Josh stated, letting go of your hand. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Tyler, Jenna, and you began to scan the room for an empty table.

“There’s Abigail and Ashley!” you exclaimed upon seeing Josh’s sisters.

“Perfect,” Tyler smiled.

The three of you walked up to the table and took a seat next to Abigail. Ashley was also at the table, fiddling with her drink cup.

“You weren’t saving seats for anyone, were you?” Jenna asked.

“You, actually,” Ashley smiled. “We didn’t want you to get stuck at a table with family members you barely knew.”

“Thank you,” you smiled, it was nice to know that Josh’s family was looking out for you.

“Where’s Jordan?” Jenna asked.

Abigail nodded up towards the front of the room. He was sat next to Josh at the main table, laughing with one of his cousins.

You made small talk as everyone else filed in and filled the tables. Josh kept winking at you from his spot at the head table, to which you just shook your head and suppressed a laugh.

Once everyone was settled in, Derek walked to the front of the barn and took the mic.

“Alright, everybody. Let’s take a moment to settle down.”

The conversations around you quickly died out as everyone turned their attention to Derek up on stage. He looked different dressed up all nice.

“Ok, so, welcome to yet another wedding in the Dun family. To those of you who have been here before, welcome back. To new additions to the family, I hope you enjoy your time here. I’m sure y’all know how this works by now, we take turns telling stories and all that jazz. Try to get those embarrassing ones out in the open. While this is all going on, I’ll be coming around and taking orders. If you guys get thirsty, we have coolers back there full of stuff to drink, so help yourselves. I’ll get us started here,” he said before clearing his throat. “Ok, so back when Jeremy was little, about six or seven, we had this giant apple tree out in the backyard that his Mom used to make apple pie.”

Jeremy’s face went bright red and he buried his face in his arms. A few giggles were heard from people who knew where the story was going.

“Anyway, one day his Mom was out there collecting apples and Jeremy wanted to help, so he pulled up his pants up and went scrambling up the tree. He always loved climbing the trees in the backyard. So he climbs up the tree and is picking all the apples from the top and dropping ‘em down to his Mom. I’m out there, reading the paper on the porch when I heard this distant call of ‘Daaaaaaad!’ I set down my paper and go walking over to the tree and when I look up, Jeremy has gotten his pants stuck on a branch. Of course, Liliana was scared out of her mind, and I had to tell her to watch him while I ran and got the ladder. We finally managed to get him down, but not without ripping his pants, the poor boy. Let’s just say, he never climbed that tree again. The apple pie that night was one of the best yet though!”

There was laughter in the crowd as Derek walked offstage, leaving the mic open for anyone to take. Patrick, Jeremy’s brother, was quick to get up to the front of the stage, much to Jeremy’s apparent dismay.

“Do you guys want anything to drink?” Abigail whispered.

“Can I have a soda?” you asked.

“I’ll have one too,” Jenna added.

Tyler just shook his head. Abigail gave you a thumbs up and made her way between the tables to where the coolers were sitting. Patrick tapped the mic a few times.

“Ok, here’s a good story,” he smiled. “Back during Jeremy’s first year of college, way before he met Nickie here, he and I were always on the lookout for women. Now, me being a junior in college by this point, I thought I was all cool so I showed up at Jeremy’s dorm one night like, ‘Bro, I know this awesome bar with a ton of chicks that we can get into,’ and Jeremy is all like, ‘Yeah, man. Let’s do it’. So we get all ready to go and head out to this little bar on the edge of town. Naturally, this place is swimming with girls who are a bit tipsy. I turn to Jeremy and am like, ‘Ok, dude. I bet you ten bucks you can’t get at least five of these girls’ numbers within the hour.’ He gets all pumped up and slicks his hair back and walks up to the first girl and I kid you not, this is what he says: ‘Hey girl, are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only ten I see.’ He literally pulled out the oldest line in the book, and he hasn’t had a single drink at this point. You can only imagine how things went from there, but he did manage to get himself five numbers in the hour. Best ten dollars I ever spent,” he finished before setting the mic down.

Jeremy grabbed the mic that was sitting in front of him, “I still have those numbers too,” he laughed, which gained him a smack in the arm from Nickie.

Once again, there was a roar of laughter just as Abigail reappeared with our drinks. She set down two drinks for her and Ashley, and the sodas for you and Jenna.

“You didn’t tell us you were bringing back so much! We could have helped!” Jenna said.

Abigail waved her off, “I was fine, honestly.”

Once again there was the sound of someone clearing their throat in the mic. You looked up to see Josh standing at the front of the stage.

“This is going to be great,” Ashley smiled, turning to us. “Josh is the king of stories.”

“Bad pickup lines are hard to follow, I have to admit,” Josh started, “but for this story we’re going to have to go back in time a bit. As many of you know, as kids we all went down to the lake a lot. We would get absolutely filthy and rough house and just generally be quite rowdy children, but one day stands out in my mind. All of the cousins were hanging out in the lake, playing with this rubber ball that Jordan had won at the fair the week before.”

“Woo!” Jordan cheered from behind him, causing Josh to smile.

“And so we’re all in the lake, throwing this thing around and playing keepaway. Suddenly, Jeremy has the ball and Ricky is coming for him, and we all know how scary Ricky is when he’s in the middle. He will take you down. So in his panic, Jeremy lobs it straight into the trees. Of course, we’re all yelling at him and telling him to go get it, so he climbs out of the water and disappears behind the trees. We’re all waiting for him to come back and the game to continue, when we hear this yell from in the trees. Jeremy suddenly comes sprinting back out from the forest, wearing what looks like black pants. We all start yelling at him and asking what’s going on and where is the ball and all that crap. But all he does is yells, ‘Ants!’ and takes off at a sprint down the path. Naturally, all of us get out of the water and start running after him. All the parents are sitting outside, and when they see all of us suddenly sprinting back, they all start to get up. Jeremy goes running in there and points at his legs all frantically, which upon all of us looking at him closer, are covered completely in ants. So Uncle Derek goes and grabs the hose and starts spraying off his legs and these ants go flying everywhere. All the kids were laughing their asses off, meanwhile Jeremy is freaking out as these ants go pouring off of him. We never did get that ball back,” Josh sighed, shaking his head.

Not even you could stop yourself from laughing at that one. Next to you, Abigail, Ashley, and Tyler were all doubled over with laughter at the memory. Jeremy had gone bright red by this point from so much embarrassment.

“Alright, guys. What are you wanting for dinner?” Derek asked, suddenly appearing.

“What are the options?” Tyler asked.

“Cheeseburger, hamburger, or hot dog,” he explained.

The five of you gave him your order, which he wrote down before moving on to the next table. On the stage, one of Nickie’s relatives had taken the stage.

There was the sound of footsteps behind you which you dismissed as a passerby until Josh suddenly appeared between you and Jenna. He bent down so that he was slightly below eye level.

“How’d I do?” he asked.

“Amazing, one of the best stories so far,” you smiled.

“That was gold, Josh! Great choice,” Ashley commented.

Abigail and Tyler nodded in agreement.

“Awesome. I was really nervous that only the cousins would find it funny.”

“No, it was great,” you reassured him. “Everyone was loving it.”

“Ok, well I just wanted to check in. I better head back up there,” he said before giving you a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Ok, I’ll see you later.”


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of the dinner went by quickly. Multiple times you found yourself unable to breathe because of laughter, not to mention that the food was amazing. Josh’s sisters were obviously the best choice to sit with, as they made many comments in addition to the story that made it that much better. You had become much closer with his sisters, and it almost made you sad that you and Josh weren’t dating.

Around five, Derek once again took the stage, “I hate to end the fun times that we’re having, but it’s time that our bride and groom said a few words. Before that, I would just like to thank all of you for sitting through this rehearsal dinner, as I know many of you are excited for your parties tonight. It really means alot to me and my family. Ok, before I get too sappy I’ll hand y’all over to Jeremy.”

Jeremy stood up and took the mic from his father, “I’ll try to keep this short and sweet, but I would like to thank all of my groomsmen for being willing enough to help me through all of this. And of course, I would like to thank Laura and Bill Dun for being kind enough not only to host our wedding, and everything else, in their beautiful barn, but also allowing us to come over every day before then and hang out together. It really means a lot,” he smiled before passing off the mic to Nickie.

“I also would like to thank Laura and Bill Dun for allowing us to do everything here and being kind enough to host me, even though we haven’t properly met. I would like to thank also my bridesmaids for keeping me sane and maintaining control over everything so I don’t go all Bridezilla on everyone. And a huge thank you to the entire Dun family for taking me in and being so kind this past week. It really means a lot to feel welcome to a new family,” she smiled and took a seat.

Derek returned to the front of the stage, “Now, I would like all the men to head back to the house for their party, so kiss all your ladies goodnight! It’s time for the real men to go party!” he yelled.

All of the men started to head out of the barn. Meanwhile, the women started to push all the tables to the sides of the barn. You noticed Josh making his way through the crowd towards you.

“The guys are going to be partying most of the night, so just call me to let me know when you want to head to bed and I can take you inside. Otherwise, you’ll be in for one hell of a time if you try to make it inside,” he whispered in your ear.

“Alright, thank you.”

He nodded before joining Tyler on their way to the house. You quickly found Josh’s sisters and Jenna again.

Nickie suddenly came running over to you. It was the first proper glance you had gotten of her and you had to admit, she was gorgeous. Her ginger hair was loosely curled and pulled back on one side, revealing her bright blue eyes. Light freckles dusted her cheeks and went across her small nose. She seemed the definition of perfect, which made sense if you thought about how attractive most of the Duns were.

“Hi,” she smiled brightly. “I’m Nickie, just in case you guys didn’t know. I haven’t really had a chance to meet everyone yet so I’m trying to get some introductions in before things get too crazy.”

“Jenna Black,” Jenna smiled, holding out a hand.

“Jenna,” Nickie repeated. “And what’s your relation to the family?”

“Tyler Joseph’s girlfriend, so technically I’m not really family,” she smiled.

“Tyler,” she said, trying to put a face to name. “Close friends with Josh, right?”

“That’s the one,” Jenna smiled.

“Got it,” she nodded before turning to me. “And you are?”

“Y/F/N Y/L/N. Josh Dun’s girlfriend,” you smiled, holding out a hand.

“Y/N,” she repeated.

Finally, she turned to Josh’s sisters.

“Oh! We’ve met before! Let’s see…Abigail and Ashley?” she asked, pointing to each of them respectively.

They each nodded.

“Yes,” she cheered. “Well, nice meeting you four!” she said before quickly dashing off.

“She seems nice,” Jenna said. “It’s cool that she is making an effort to meet everyone.”

Music started to play from a large speaker. Girls started to move towards the center of the barn to dance.

“You guys want to dance?” Ashley asked.

You shrugged, “I’m not really much of a dancer.”

“Oh, come on. This is your one chance to dance when Josh isn’t around.”

You shrugged again. Oddly enough, Tyler and Josh were some of the only people you would be willing to dance around.

“Fine, I’ll make you dance then,” she smiled, taking hold of your wrist and dragging you to the dance floor.

You made your way to the center of the floor with all the other girls. Together, the four of you began to bounce around in time to the music.

Eventually, people started to get tired of dancing. It wasn’t until someone yelled, ‘Shots!’ that people once again began to get excited.

“What do you guys want?” Ashley asked, turning to the rest of you while she poured herself a drink.

“Lemon vodka, for me,” Jenna answered.

“I don’t drink,” you shrugged.

“C’mon, Y/N. Where’s your sense of adventure?” Abigail said.

“I don’t handle liquor well, and I’d really rather not be majorly hungover in front of the family tomorrow. I’ll watch over you two and make sure you don’t do anything stupid,” you explained.

“Fair enough,” Ashley said as she handed Jenna and Abigail their drinks. “On three?” she asked.

They nodded.

“1…2…3…,” Ashley counted before throwing down her drink.

Their faces scrunched up as the burning alcohol raced down their throats. Around them, the rest of the girls were doing the same thing.

The same pattern continued for the rest of the night. Girls continually alternated between taking shots and dancing, some of them even attempting to do it at the same time. Jenna stopped before she got too hammered, although she was having some troubles walking in her heels. Ashley and Abigail weren’t quite as smart and were slurring their words by nine. At eleven, you and Jenna figured it was finally time to call it a night, so you called Josh.

“Hello?” Josh slurred on the other end of the line.

You sighed, you should have known that he was going to get just as hammered as the girls.

“Josh, it’s Y/N.”

“Y/N!” he called. “How is my girlfriend doing?”

“Listen, Josh, I need to come inside now with Jenna.”

“Alright! Come on in!”

You sighed, knowing it was no use. Hoping Tyler was in a better state, you called him instead.

“Hello?” Tyler answered, his words coming out fine.

“You aren’t drunk?”

“Nope. Only had a couple beers.”

“Perfect. Anyway, Josh said it would be a bad idea to just come walking into the house, so can you come out on the porch and get me and Jenna? We’re ready to head to bed.”

“Well, Josh was right about not coming in alone. With the state these guys are in, that’s probably a good idea. I’ll meet you on the porch.”

“Thanks, Ty.”

“No problem.”

You hung up and stuck your phone back into your pocket. Before you left, you figured it was best to let Ashley and Abigail know where you were going. You managed to find them dancing.

“Hey, guys, Jenna and I are heading out now.”

“Ok,” Ashley giggled. “See you tomorrow morning.”She was definitely a happy drunk.

You and Jenna walked out of the barn into the night air. It felt nice after being stuck in the barn with tons of sweaty girls who were grinding on one another. Jenna stumbled a bit, but she wasn’t a problem.

“That was one hell of a party,” she stated.

“Tell me about it. You should have heard Josh on the phone, sounds like the guys were the same way.”

“Tyler was ok though?”

“Yeah. He said he only had a few beers, probably watching over Josh to make sure he didn’t slip up. Plus, he has to drive you two home.”

Jenna nodded. On the porch, Tyler’s outline was visible against the light from the window.

“How was your party?” he asked once we were in earshot.

“Our lips are sealed,” you answered with a smirk.

“Good then?”

“Sealed, Tyler!” you reiterated.

He laughed and shook his head. Inside, you could already hear the chanting and yelling of the guys.

“They’re mostly in the kitchen, so we can hopefully sneak past them without them causing a problem.”

Tyler opened the door and you quickly stepped inside. The house was considerably warmer than the barn had been.

“Hey, Tyler! Did you bring us some girls?” one of the guys called.

“Not those ones, Carl! That’s Joshy’s girlfriend,” another one answered.

“She’s just heading to bed,” Tyler said. “So all of you can leave her alone.”

“Woah there, Tyler! No need to get feisty!”

Tyler shook his head, “You’re going to want to lock your door. These guys gets crazy when they’re drunk,” Tyler said as we climbed the stairs.

“Speaking of which, do you mind sending Josh up here? I think he’s had plenty to drink already,” you said.

“Yeah, no problem. I was thinking of sending him up here, anyway.”

“Thanks.”

“Goodnight, Y/N,” Jenna smiled at me.

“Goodnight, guys. Drive safe,” you smiled before disappearing into Josh’s room.

It was nice to finally be away from people again. As much as you loved the Dun family, being around them all day got to be quite tiring. You kicked off your boots and flopped down on the bed with a sigh. A bed had never felt so comfortable before.

A few minutes later, the door creaked open and shut again. You sat up and twisted to face the door, just to make sure it wasn’t one of the drunk guys. Much to your relief, it was just Josh.

“Tyler said you wanted me up here,” he slurred.

“Yeah, because you should be heading to bed,” you stated plainly, getting up from the bed.

He shrugged, “I’m not tired.”

You rolled your eyes, “I don’t care,” you said as you gathered up your pajamas.

He looked almost offended by your comment, “Fine.”

You walked into the bathroom and got ready for bed as quickly as possible. Watching over the girls had distracted you from how tired you really were.

When you emerged from the bathroom, Josh was already in bed fast asleep. Somehow he had managed to get into his pajamas without falling over, although he had neglected to put his dirty clothes anywhere. You shrugged it off and flicked off the light before climbing into bed. Falling asleep was much easier that night than it had been the night prior.


	9. Chapter 9

As if on cue, everyone’s heads swiveled towards the start of the aisle. Sure enough, who you assumed could only be Nickie’s mother was walking down the aisle. She walked to the front and took a spot at the front, on the left side. Once she had taken her seat, the Officiant appeared and walked down the aisle, a book firmly clasped in his hand. He took his spot under the arch, smiling widely.

Next came the groomsmen, each paired off with one of the bridesmaids. Josh was walking with someone you didn’t recognize, but based off of her striking similarity to Nickie, you could only assume it was her sister. You had to admit, he looked pretty handsome all dressed up in his tux.

Each pair split off as they reached the end of the aisle. You could see Josh searching the crowd casually. When his eyes met yours, he winked before smirking to himself. You rolled your eyes to yourself, but smiled nonetheless. Just then, heads were spinning around once again. Jeremy was walking down the aisle, his suit cleanly pressed and his blonde hair pushed back to perfection. He took his spot under the arch, a hint of nervousness on his face.

The ring bearer came next, followed closely by the flower girl. Tyler quickly explained that they were the kids of some nearby neighbors that the Duns were friends with. They each walked to the front of the aisle and took their places with the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

A few moments later, whispers of, “She’s coming,” filled the crowd, prompting everyone to stand up. Everyone turned to face the back of the aisle where Nickie was soon to appear.

There were more than a few audible gasps when she appeared, one of which you had to suppress yourself. Ashley was right about her dress: it fit her perfectly and made her look regal. Her already perfect hair was curled and pulled back, adorned with a few flowers here and there. Her veil fell to just above her hips and the flowers that she was carrying somehow managed to compliment her dress. Next to her was an old, somewhat balding man who could only be her father. The look on Jeremy’s face as she walked down the aisle was priceless.

Nickie gave her father one final kiss before he took his seat next to her mother. She quickly took her spot across from Jeremy, a bright smile on her face.

The ceremony wasn’t unlike many of the others you had been to. Jenna teared up a bit during their vows, to which Tyler quickly pulled her into his side and kissed her temple. Once the ceremony was over and the new Duns had kissed, they took each other’s hands and went running down the aisle together.

Derek stood up and walked to the front of the aisle.

“Alright, everyone. The wedding party is going to be taking a few pictures now so meanwhile, why don’t you all head to the barn and get the party started?”

All at once, everyone got up from their seats and started to move through the forest. Josh managed to make his way through the crowd and fall into step with you.

“Don’t you have pictures to be taking?” you asked.

“We’re both going the same way, can’t I walk with my beautiful girlfriend?” Josh smiled, taking hold of your hand.

Behind you, Ashley was making gagging sounds. Josh turned and shot her a look.

“Sorry, never thought you the type, Josh,” she shrugged.

Josh rolled his eyes and turned back to you.

“You going to be ok while I’m taking pictures?” he asked, giving your hand a light squeeze.

You nodded, “I’ve got some people I can hang around.”

“Great.”

“You look really nice in your tux,” you smiled up at him.

He looked almost surprised by your comment, “Thanks,” he smiled brightly.

“Tyler, stop!” you heard Jenna yell from behind you, although she didn’t sound angry.

You spun around to see Jenna slung over one of Tyler’s shoulders as he carried her through the crowd of people. Jenna was laughing from her position upside down on his back.

“Oh my goodness,” you laughed.

“C’mon, Josh. What are you waiting for?” Abigail coaxed from behind you.

Josh stopped in his tracks.

“Do not sling me upside down,” you held up a finger warningly.

“Fine, bridal style,” he smiled, scooping you up before you even had a chance to protest.

“Josh!” you squealed, quickly throwing your arms around his neck.

“Yes?”

“What are you doing?”

“Carrying you.”

“Yes, but why?”

“Because I love you,” he smiled.

Your eyebrows raised automatically, but you quickly lowered them. Never in your time of knowing Josh had you heard him tell a girl that he loved her, although you shouldn’t be worrying. It was all an act, after all.

“I love you too,” you smiled, putting one of your hands on the side of his face and pulling his cheek towards you.

“You know, as much as I hate you two showing any affection whatsoever, I haven’t seen you two properly kiss at all,” Abigail interjected

“Nothing like Tyler and Jenna over there,” Ashley added with a laugh.

“We don’t really kiss in front of people,” Josh quickly excused.

“C’mon, Josh, one small kiss?” Abigail pleaded. “Show the girl you love her.”

Josh turned to you and raised his eyebrows in question. You shrugged, what harm could come of it? Josh’s arm behind you tightened, bringing you closer to him. Your lips pressed together, and you could feel the warmth of it spreading throughout your body. Josh held you in the kiss, until Abigail interrupted that is.

“Ok! Ok! We get it! Make it stop!” she laughed.

Josh let you down from his arms so that you were once again walking. He grabbed your hand and held it tightly. Your head was reeling from everything that had just happened. You had kissed your best friend and…enjoyed it?

“Is my lipstick still on ok?” you laughed, looking up at Josh.

He squinted, “Yeah, it looks good. Do I have any lipstick on me?”

There was a slight stain from where you had kissed him on the cheek, so you stood on your toes and rubbed it away with your thumb.

“You wouldn’t want that on your face during pictures,” you smiled.

“Speaking of which, I should probably get to that. Don’t have too much fun before I get there,” he smiled, quickly kissing your cheek.

Once Josh disappeared, you fell back into step with everyone.

“That was one intense kiss,” Abigail smiled. “He really does love you.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty lucky,” you smiled.

You walked into the barn, which looked pretty much as it had yesterday. Those who weren’t part of the wedding party were standing around, talking to one another. It didn’t take you long to locate Tyler and Jenna.

“Hey,” Jenna smiled.

“Hi.”

“How long does it usually take them to do pictures?” Jenna asked.

“Anywhere from half an hour to an hour,” Tyler answered.

“Hey, they’re playing music,” Jenna smiled as she headed for the dance floor.

You followed Tyler and Jenna onto the dance floor, swaying your body slightly to the music. Your head was still reeling a bit from your kiss. Before you knew it, the wedding party had returned, prompting cheers from everyone.

Josh walked up beside you, “Alright, no more running off from here on out, until toasts that is,” he smiled.

“Ok,” you smiled back up at him.

“Everything go ok while I was gone?” he asked.

You nodded, “We just danced a little bit.”

“Without me?” he laughed.

“You were busy!”

“Well, would you like to dance now?” Josh asked.

You pretended to think it over for a moment, “Ok.”

You and Josh bounced around on the dance floor for awhile until Derek made you all clear it, announcing that it was time for the bride and groom’s first dance together. Jeremy escorted Nickie to the floor, the light reflecting off the small gems in her hair. They took their spot in the middle of the floor and the music started to play.

Josh wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you to his hip. You leaned your head against his shoulder as you watched the new couple dance. The song finished and another slow one started to play. Couples started to move towards the dance floor, and Josh held out an arm.

“Care to join me?” he laughed.

You rolled your eyes with a shake of your head, but linked your arm with his nonetheless. You headed to the dance floor amidst all the other couples.

“Not too low, Dun,” you said as Josh placed his hand on your waist.

Josh smirked as he lowered his hand slightly, “Sorry, can’t resist.”

You shot him a look, which only caused him to smile. You danced in silence, simply enjoying each other’s company, although that wouldn’t stop your mind from racing. Everything that had happened: the kiss, the flirting, the hand holding, it all felt so natural. You were beginning to think that the “feelings” you had for Josh weren’t so fake.

“Mind if I steal her?” someone asked.

You were suddenly brought back into reality. Tyler was looking between you and Josh. You hadn’t even realized that the song had ended.

“She’s all yours,” Josh smiled. “Just so long as I get Jenna.”

“Knock yourself out.”

Josh let go of you, leaving a warm impression on your hip where his hand had been resting. Tyler took his place, his hand significantly higher than where Josh’s had been.

“Hey, are you doing ok? You looked pretty out of it when you were dancing with Josh,” he asked quietly.

“There’s a lot on my mind right now, I guess.”

“You want to talk about it?”

You shook your head, “I just need some time to think it over, I guess. I might walk down to the lake after this dance, actually. Clear my head a bit.”

Tyler nodded, “I’ll let people know, if they notice you missing.”

“Thanks, Ty.”

The rest of your dance was silent, your head still spinning with confusion. As soon as the dance ended, you told Tyler you were off before quickly disappearing out of the barn unnoticed. Your heels crunched through the gravel as you walked through the cool air towards the lake. The sun was just beginning to set as you walked, the air barely causing the hair on you arm to rise.

It took you barely any time to reach the lake. The sight of the trees reflecting on the water helped to calm your nerves a bit, but your mind still continued to race. You wanted nothing more than to sit on the swing and fly out over the water like you had the day before, but you figured it was probably best that you didn’t run the risk of wrinkling your dress, especially since there was still quite a bit of the reception left.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the crunching of gravel behind you. You remained facing the water, too scared to turn and face who was no doubt behind you.

“Y/N,” Josh’s voice broke the silence of the area around you.

You spun around to face him, your heart pounding in your chest.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” he said plainly, nervousness barely detectable in his voice.


	10. Chapter 10

You woke up the next morning to Josh’s arms wrapped tightly around your waist. He was still fast asleep, your back pressed tightly to his chest. Doing your best not to wake him up, you uncurled yourself from his arms and slid out of bed, your stomach twisting. Once again, you hopped out of bed and got the advantage of using the bathroom first, also allowing Josh to sleep off more of his inevitable hangover. You decided against doing your makeup now, knowing that you would only have to do it all over again in a few hours for the wedding.

Much to your surprise, Josh was awake when you walked back out of the bathroom. You hadn’t expected him to be awake, so you had neglected bringing any clothes into the bathroom.

“Looking good, Y/L/N,” he smirked at you.

“Shut it, Dun,” you snapped, quickly gathering up some clothes and rushing back into the bathroom.

You pulled on an oversized t-shirt and some athletic shorts which you were really only going to wear for breakfast. Everyone was set to start arriving at one, which meant you would have to start getting ready in a few hours.

It was apparent that Josh had gone for a similar tactic as you walked out of the bathroom. He had pulled on a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt, although he had gone back to laying on the bed. His hair was still a bit messy from sleeping, as was yours. You quickly pulled your hair up into a messy bun.

“My head hurts,” he whined, rolling over and burying his head in the pillow.

“Well that’s what you get for getting drunk last night.”

“Aren’t girlfriends supposed to be supportive?” he groaned.

“Aren’t girlfriends supposed to be real?” you retorted. “I think I have some medicine in my bag,” you added.

“You do?” he asked, rolling over and looking at you hopefully.

You shifted some stuff around in your suitcase, looking for the headache medication you had packed.

“Here,” you said upon finding it. “Catch,” you tossed it at him.

He caught it easily and walked into the bathroom, only to reappear a few moments later.

“Thanks,” he said, tossing it back to you.

“No problem. You ready to head down?” you asked.

He nodded and walked over to you, slipping an arm around your waist. You leaned your head on his shoulder as you walked.

Surprisingly, breakfast wasn’t ready when you got downstairs. Laura was in the kitchen, busily cooking some food up on the stove. Bill was standing nearby, working on cutting up some fruit.

“Good morning,” she said cheerily upon seeing you. “Breakfast should be ready in about fifteen minutes.”

“Do you need any help?” you asked.

“Bill and I have it handled, but thank you for the offer! The other kids are in the living room.”

You nodded and you and Josh headed into the living room. Just as Laura had said, Jordan and Ashley were on the couch, half-watching some reality tv show. Abigail had fallen asleep on one end of the couch.

“Good morning,” you said as you walked into the living room.

Josh took a seat on the couch and you sat near him, swinging your legs up over his.

“Hey,” Ashley smiled, “How’d you two sleep?”

“Not so loud, Ash,” Josh whined.

“He’s pretty hungover,” you laughed. “I went to get ready for bed last night and by the time I came back he was out like a light.”

“Same with me,” Ashley smiled. “I barely got into pajamas before I was asleep.”

“How much did you guys drink?” Jordan asked. “I barely had anything.”

“Yay for being the responsible ones, huh?” you smiled at him.

“I have to admit, it’s pretty funny to see what some of the guys get up to while drunk. You should have seen Josh last night. He said some pretty crazy stuff.”

“Please don’t tell her, Jordan,” Josh protested, which only made you more curious.

He moved slightly so that he could rest his head on your shoulder. You tried your best to stay still for him.

“Maybe I can tell you one day,” Jordan said. Josh only shook his head. “Have you met Nickie yet?”

“Yeah, she introduced herself to us last night. She seems really sweet.”

Jordan nodded, “That’s what I thought. Jeremy picked well.”

“No kidding, she’s gorgeous.”

“Your family continues to amaze me.”

“How so?”

“Everyone is just so friendly with one another and likes to be around each other. It’s the polar opposite of my family.”

Ashley smiled, “Well, you’re welcome to be a part of our family any time.”

“I will most definitely be taking you up on that offer,” you laughed.

All of a sudden, Josh started to snore on your shoulder.

“How’s your head, Ash?” you asked.

“I have a slight headache, but I took some medicine so it should go away pretty soon. I mean, I didn’t drink too much last night. How is he?”

“He spent most of this morning complaining about his headache,” you smiled, brushing his hair back from his face. “I had some medicine for him though so it should hopefully get better.”

Laura walked into the living room, “Breakfast is ready,” she announced, causing Josh to wake up.

“What?” he asked, sitting up.

“Breakfast is ready,” you repeated.

He nodded and grabbed your hand. Together, you walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Once again, Laura had prepared lots of different types of food for all of you, not to mention that it smelled delicious too.

“This looks amazing, Mom,” Jordan said as he sat down.

The rest of you nodded in agreement. She set out a pitcher of milk and Josh was quick to take it.

By the end of breakfast, Josh was feeling significantly better than he had been at the start. Ashley’s headache was completely gone, and you finally felt fully awake. You talked a lot with Laura and Bill, which helped you feel more comfortable around the family as a whole. Laura even went so far as to mention that she finally felt like she knew you well. It was by far the best breakfast you had had on the trip. Time had quickly slipped away from you and you had spent nearly an hour at the table talking with one another.

“We should start getting ready,” Josh said, nudging you in the shoulder.

You checked the time, and were surprised to see how late in the day it was; you must have slept in later than you thought. You and Josh headed back upstairs to his room.

“You did remember to bring a dress, right?” Josh asked hesitantly.

“Have you forgotten that I always pack the day before?” you smiled. “Of course I remembered a dress.”

“Good,” he smiled.

He walked over and took a seat on the bed as soon as you got to his room. You walked over to your suitcase and dug around for your dress so that you could hang it up.

“Actually, do you mind ironing this for me?” you smiled sweetly.

“Anything for you, love,” he smiled sarcastically.

You rolled your eyes, “Thanks, Josh.”

He took your dress and disappeared from the room. Meanwhile, you headed into the bathroom to start on the process that was doing your makeup. You already had what you wanted to do all planned out, it was just executing it that would be a potential issue.

45 minutes later, your makeup was done, leaving only your hair and getting dressed. You decided to get Josh’s opinion and grab your dress, so you poked your head out of the bathroom to check if Josh was decent.

Josh was asleep on his bed as you slowly opened the door. He looked almost adorable as he was lying there, wrapped up in his old blanket. You considered waking him up, but he looked so comfortable and he was probably still fighting his hangover, so you let him sleep. Your freshly ironed dress was hanging on the closet, so you grabbed it and walked back into the bathroom.

Going from your athletic shorts and t-shirt to a nice dress with an open back was a weird feeling. It had been months since you had to get dressed up for something like this, and you had forgotten how nice it was to get to wear a long dress. Your hair went quickly, since you only had to braid it and pin it up into a bun. One last adjustment of your necklace and pulling your shoes on, and you were ready.

“Y/N?” Josh called softly through the door.

“Yes?”

“I’m going to get changed real quick, so don’t come out here.”

“Ok, let me know when you’re done because I’m ready.”

“Ok.”

You took one last glance at yourself in the mirror while you waited for Josh to get changed. The sound of him shuffling around as he got ready made you laugh a bit.

“Ok, I’m good. I just need your help with one thing.”

You took a deep breath and pushed the door open, walking out into Josh’s bedroom. Josh was standing over by the window, fiddling with something on the front of his suit. The sound of the door opening must have caught his attention, because he was quick to turn around. His jaw nearly hit the floor when he saw you. It didn’t take him long to start looking you up and down.

“Do I really look that bad?” you laughed.

“No, not at all. You look…amazing.”

You could feel color rising to your cheeks, “Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself.”

“Speaking of which, can you tie a tie?” he smiled innocently.

“I can,” you laughed.

You walked over to him and grabbed his tie. Despite the height boost of your heels, you were still a couple inches shy of Josh’s height. You could feel his eyes on you as you tied his tie, causing your heart to speed up a bit.

“There,” you smiled, giving his shoulder a pat.

“Thanks,” he returned your smile. “Ready to go downstairs?”

“I think so. How’s your head?”

“Barely hurts at all,” he smiled proudly.

“Good to hear.”

He grabbed your hand and intertwined his fingers with yours. Together, you headed down the stairs to where Laura and Bill were in the kitchen.

“Y/N!” Laura exclaimed as soon as she saw you. “You look absolutely stunning!” she smiled.

“Thank you, Laura,” you smiled.

“When are people supposed to be arriving?” Josh asked.

Bill glanced down at his watch, “Any time now. I’m a bit surprised no one is here, actually.”

Josh’s siblings gradually filed into the room as they finished getting ready. You stood next to Josh, nervously playing with his hand. There was the sound of a car door slamming outside, followed closely by laughing. Bill turned and glanced out the window.

“Tyler and Jenna,” he announced.

Sure enough, a few moments later Tyler and Jenna appeared through the door. It was weird to see them all dressed up, compared to what they were usually wearing.

“Hello, Duns,” Tyler smiled. “Y/N? Is that you?” he laughed, squinting a bit.

“Haha, very funny,” you said sarcastically, crossing your arms.

From then on, people continued to arrive until there were so many that you had to go stand in the yard. People were walking around, marveling at one another and making small talk. Eventually, Josh had to go join up with the other groomsmen, leaving you with Tyler and Jenna once again.

“How was Josh last night?” Tyler asked.

“Not too bad. He got upstairs and passed out immediately.”

“He has the tendency to do that when he gets drunk.”

“Alright, everybody! Why don’t we head over to the clearing!” Derek called across the yard, drawing your attention.

“The clearing?” you asked.

“There’s a little meadow not too far into the woods. It’s where the actual wedding takes place. Hasn’t Josh taken you there?” Tyler explained.

You shook your head.

“Well, there’s a little path that branches off from the one to the lake that leads there. Bill had to clear it out awhile back so the girls’ dresses wouldn’t get torn up while they were walking there.”

It was like a procession as everyone made their way to the clearing. The walk wasn’t very long, and it was nice to be out in the shining sun, albeit a bit warm. Thankfully, your dress was loose and flowed with the wind.

You had to hold back a gasp as you got to the clearing. An arch stood at the far end of it, with flower petals carving an aisle through the rows of chairs. Trees ringed the edge of it, almost making the whole place seem mysterious. It seemed so private, despite all the people that were there.

“Where should we sit?” Jenna asked.

“Somewhere on the groom’s side,” Tyler thought out loud, “We should try and find Josh’s sisters again.”

You and Jenna nodded. Tyler was quick to locate a spot to sit, next to Abigail and Ashley, and you and Jenna followed him to it. You ended up towards the middle on the right side.

“Did Nickie ever show you a picture of her dress?” Ashley turned to you once you had made yourself comfortable.

The three of you shook your heads in unison.

“It’s the most gorgeous dress I think I’ve ever seen,” she smiled. “It’s got this lace and long sleeves and just wait until you see it,” she beamed.

Abigail leaned over, interrupting your conversation, “Sounds like the procession is starting.”


	11. Chapter 11

“Anything,” you answered.

“What I said earlier, about being in love with you,” he took a deep breath. “I wasn’t lying.”

He was only a few feet away from you, his arms hanging loosely at his sides. Your back was to the lake as you stood facing him, hardly believing what you were hearing.

“I love you too,” you responded. “Honestly.”

His eyes widened, “You do?”

You nodded, “And I don’t think I really realized it until you kissed me.”

You hadn’t realized that Josh had been moving closer to you while you had been talking until you looked up and he was only a few inches away.

“Like this?” he smirked before pulling you into a kiss.

His hand wrapped around the back of your neck and pulled you into a kiss. Your hands moved up to his chest and rested there, as if keeping him from getting too close.

He pulled away from the kiss, but kept his face within centimeters of yours, “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” you smiled as he pulled you into a second kiss.

He kissed you for a little while longer until you eventually pulled away again.

“We should get back to the wedding,” you said, pulling your hands away from his chest.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he smiled.

He ran a hand down your arm, sending shivers down your spine. Your fingers interlocked with his naturally by this point. Together, you started back down the gravel path, the rocks crunching under your feet.

“Does this mean that our anniversary is the same day as your cousin’s wedding anniversary?” you laughed, swinging Josh’s hand back and forth dramatically.

You already noticed yourself acting more comfortable around Josh now that your relationship was real.

“I guess it is,” he smiled, giving your hand a squeeze. “You know, it’s kind of weird to think that I won’t have to announce this relationship to the family since they already think we’re dating.”

“Tyler, Jenna, and Ashley are the only ones who we’ll have to tell.”

“Ashley knew?” Josh asked.

“She grilled me! I couldn’t lie.”

“Yeah, she can be pretty intimidating.”

You walked back to the barn silently, listening to the sounds of the crickets and frogs and enjoying one another’s company. Everything felt like it had finally fallen into place.

You walked back into the barn together, earning you a few odd looks. You immediately spotted Jenna and Ashley having a conversation with Jordan at a nearby table. Tyler wasn’t too far off, talking to one of Josh’s cousins.

“I’m doing it now,” you said, dropping Josh’s hand and making a beeline for the girls.

You walked straight over to them and waited until there was a pause in the conversation.

“Do you mind if I borrow you two for a second?” you asked.

“Oh, yeah, no problem,” Ashley smiled. “We’ll be right back, Jordan.”

You brought Jenna and Ashley over near a post where you were out of earshot of everyone else in the barn.

“What’s up?” Jenna asked.

“I’ve got something huge to tell you guys,” you said.

“Alright, get on with it then,” she smiled, shifting slightly in anticipation.

“So you know how Josh and I were fake dating?”

“Yeah, of course,” Ashley said, her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“Well, now we might kind of be real dating,” you said giddily, a smile creeping onto your face.

“No way,” Jenna smiled.

“For real?” Ashley asked.

You nodded and Jenna pulled you into a hug.

“That means Tyler owes me ten bucks,” Jenna beamed.

“Excuse me?” you raised your eyebrows.

“Well, it was obvious to anyone but you two that you guys were actually in love with each other, so Tyler and I made a bet about how long it would take you two to get together. Tyler was convinced Josh wouldn’t have the guts to do it by the end of the weekend, but I guess he was wrong,” she smiled proudly.

Tyler came sauntering over and placed a hand on your shoulder, “I have to be honest, I didn’t think he had the guts,” he said plainly.

“You owe me,” Jenna said, crossing her arms and looking at Tyler.

He rolled his eyes, but reached into his jacket and pulled out ten dollars nonetheless. Jenna smiled giddily and tucked the money into her bra.

“What’s going on over here?” Josh asked, once again slipping an arm around your waist.

“Tyler and Jenna made a bet about how long it would take for the two of us to get together. Tyler didn’t think you would ask me out before the weekend ended.”

Josh turned to his friend, about to make a comment, but was quickly interrupted by Abigail coming over and forcing her way to the middle of the circle.

“What are you guys doing standing around? Come dance!” she smiled, grabbing you and Jenna by the wrists and dragging you to the dance floor.

Tyler and Josh followed close behind. Once you reached the dance floor, Josh fell into place beside you. His suit jacket had long since been discarded, leaving him in only his shirt which, in typical Josh fashion, he had rolled up the sleeves of.

By the time that Derek was telling everyone to settle down for toasts, your feet were hurting from your heels. With your feet safely concealed beneath the bright white tablecloth, you undid the straps and let your feet rest a bit.

“Now, we’ll try and keep these speeches short and sweet so that we can get to the cake and more dancing. WIthout further ado, I would like to give your attention to my nephew, Patrick.”

Derek passed the microphone to Patrick, who looked almost nervous from his place behind the table. He slowly stood up and smoothed out his suit jacket.

“Hello, everyone,” he managed a smile. He paused and reached deep inside his suit jacket, pulling out a small, crumpled piece of paper. It crinkled a bit in the mic as he opened it and smoothed it out, once again pausing to take a deep breath. “Jeremy, ever since we were kids, you’ve been not only my brother, but my best friend. I always knew that I wanted you to have the best in life, so when you brought Nickie home, I was skeptical. This was a girl that I had never met, which is, as you know, a bit unheard of in our family. However, I quickly got to know her and I understood why you loved her so much.”

Jeremy reached over and took Nickie’s hand in his own.

“Jeremy, I wish you and Nickie the best from this point in your life onwards,” he finished, putting an arm on his brother’s shoulder.

He walked over and handed the microphone to a bright haired girl sitting next to Nickie. She smiled sweetly and stood up.

“Hello, everyone. Many of you don’t know me, but I’m Poppy, Nickie’s younger sister. Nick,” she said, turning to face her sister, “when we were little, we used to always dream up our weddings and talk about the boys that we were going to marry. While I’m still waiting for my Prince Charming, I’m glad to see that you’ve found yours. And Jeremy, you better treat her like the princess that she is,” she said menacingly before setting the microphone down.

Derek walked back across the stage and grabbed the microphone from the table, “Now I would like to welcome the happy couple to cut the cake.”

Jeremy stood up and held his hand out for Nickie. Arm in arm, they walked over to where the cake was sitting, the white frosting almost shining in the light. Jeremy picked up the knife and Nickie put her hand over the top of his. Together, they sliced the first part of the cake.

Family members cheered as they put the first slice onto the plate. They each grabbed a large handful and stuffed it into the other’s mouth and, once they were completely covered in frosting, kissed one another.

People stood back up, eager to get a slice of cake. You started to put your shoes back on to get your own, but Josh suddenly appeared beside you.

“Want some cake?” he asked.

“Yeah, I was about to get some.”

“I’ll grab a slice for you.”

“Are you sure? I can get it.”

“You’re my girlfriend,” he smiled, straightening back up.

You opened your mouth to say something before remembering that, for the first time all weekend, he wasn’t wrong.

Tyler and Josh returned a few minutes later, each with two slices of cake in hand. You smiled and gave Josh a quick kiss as he set your cake down in front of you. Since there weren’t any empty seats left at the table, the boys settled for standing near you.

“This is really good,” Jenna said after taking a bite of cake. You nodded in agreement, the cake was a lot better than you had expected it to be.

Everyone stayed quiet while they finished their cake, too focused on eating to keep a conversation going. Music once again started to play as people finished their cake, prompting Josh to ask you to dance.

He held your hand as he led you to the dance floor. Once you reached a break in the crowd of people, he stopped and turned to face you. You couldn’t help but smile as you rested your hand on his shoulder. He put a hand on your waist and pulled you close to him, leaving mere centimeters between the two of you. You danced quietly for a while before you decided to break the silence.

“Josh?”

“Hmm?”

“When you asked me to be your fake girlfriend, were you planning to confess your love to me?”

“No, not at all. I just knew you could be trusted. I’ve had feelings for you for as long as I can remember, but I never thought you felt the same. It was only after acting like your boyfriend for the past few days that I realized I couldn’t keep it in anymore.”

You smiled at him, “Josh, I never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad you lied to your family.”

“Me too.”

He leaned down and planted a kiss on your lips, and in that moment you felt happier than you ever had before.


	12. Epilogue

**Four Years Later…**

“Where are we going?” you asked, your breath creating a small cloud in front of you.

“You’ll see!” Josh said giddily, continuing to lead you down the sidewalk.

You used your free hand to pull your jacket a little tighter around you. It was freezing outside, but Josh had insisted that you go for a walk through the city.

“Are we almost there?”

“Yes, it’s right up here.”

Just as he said that, a bridge leading out over the water came into view. Behind it, the lights of the city were twinkling. You stopped dead in your tracks.

“I’ve lived in this city my entire life and have never once been to this spot,” you said.

Josh turned back to face you, “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

You nodded, your mouth still hanging slightly open.

“C’mon,” Josh smiled, tugging lightly on your hand.

You followed him as he led you out over the bridge. The sparkling lights of the city and being with Josh distracted you from the freezing cold all around you. Once you were about halfway across, Josh stopped walking and pulled you towards him.

“So why did you bring me here?” you asked, turning to look up at Josh.

“I’ll tell you in a little bit,” he said. “Let’s just appreciate the lights for a bit.”

You turned back to face the city and rested your head on Josh’s shoulder. He moved his hand slowly up and down your arm. The two of you stood there quietly, listening to the sound of the water beneath you and looking out over the lights of the city.

After awhile, Josh finally broke the silence, “So do you want to know why I brought you here?”

“Yeah.”

Josh stepped away from you, leaving one side of your body feeling significantly colder than the other. You turned to face him. He was fumbling around in one of his coat pockets.

“Josh?” you asked, a bit nervous.

Before you had the chance to say anything else, he was down on one knee. In his hands was a small box, holding the prettiest ring you had ever seen. Tears immediately filled your eyes.

“Y/N, would you do me the honor of being my actual wife?” he asked, smiling widely.

You nodded vigorously, “Of course, Josh.”

He stood up and put the ring on your left hand. You immediately rushed into his arms, holding onto him tightly.

“I love you so much, Josh.”

“I love you too, Y/N, but do you know what this means?”

You stepped back so that you could look at him.

“What?”

A smile spread across his face, “We’re going back to Ohio.”


End file.
